Hotels can often be overlooked as viable dining options, dismissed as somewhere guests of the hotel may want to eat if they don’t fancy venturing out. We used to share this view until our food blog was born and we started venturing off the beaten track, our latest stop was No. 11 Brunswick Street. 

This elegant restaurant, in a classic Georgian building, is the heart of the hotel. With oversized tables and a menu to match we weren’t short of space – which was ideal given the amount of food that was about to arrive.

Possibly one of the biggest menus I’ve ever handled, not quite in keeping with the refined nature of the restaurant, although our criticisms end there.

We started with a trio of Haggis Filo Parcels, with a warming spiced turnip puree and whisky sauce. Haggis rarely makes it into our homecooked meals, but usually always features at our table as a starter if we get the chance. An absolute winner, especially so with the subtle spice running through the turnip puree.

The usual rule of photographing something brown comes into play, apologies for this depressing shot. I would have taken another if I hadn’t already delved in and discovered how delightful these Slow Roast Beef Bon-bons were. The perfect appetiser and a wonderful introduction to No. 11 Brunswick Street.

We’re on to stronger photographic territory here, an 8 oz rump steak, cooked to pink-perfection. This sumptuous steak was my idea of food heaven, and aligns perfectly with the head-chef’s (Willie Lonnie) philosophy “nature has done all the hard work… a chef’s job is to present natures flavours to best effect, with as little intervention as possible”.

EdinBloggette opted for the Sea Bass and was equally pleased, even though the fish seemed to have more bones than the Natural History Museum. However, EdinBloggette had no bones about declaring how delicate and flavoursome this fish was.

Three is the magic number, a trio of sides accompanied our mains all of which went down a treat (buttery new potatoes, garlic buttered greens and butter-free chunky chips).

I love Cranachan. What’s not to love about whipped cream, whisky and honey. This dessert didn’t hold back on the whisky and pushed my whipped cream intake to the limit, although the slate was still wiped clean.

EdinBloggette doesn’t understand my passion for cranachan, thankfully her favourite made an appearance on the menu – Crème Brûlée. After the obligatory tap and crack, EdinBloggette dug in and declared “it was the best I’ve ever had, and I have had my fair share!” – high praise indeed.

At £25 for three courses, this represents excellent value for money. There’s also a 5 Course Tasting Menu for £45.00 which we’ll add to our ever growing list of Edinburgh eats.

No. 11 Brunswick Street surely won’t suffer the same fate as other hotels having their restaurant ignored. If you visit a restaurant and can only really criticise the size of a menu, then I think you’ve stumbled onto something quite special.

Website: No. 11 Brunswick Street

Disclaimer
We were invited down to sample No.11’s offering, as always all opinions are our own.

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